A New Bed and the Ghostly Prank
Returning to the lodging in high spirits after delivering the gift, Taejeong soon received the bed.
"I thought it might feel cramped, but taking out the sofa left plenty of space. Looks good too."
The bed was a resounding success. It fit perfectly without disrupting the room's flow.
Nodding in satisfaction, he brewed a cup of coffee and headed back to his room.
"Let's see. What's next on the list."
[Mechanic's Path 1-3]
Aragon's Labyrinth
The Black Dragon Aragon, fleeing ancient heavenly warriors, sealed himself in a labyrinth no one could enter.
Find the exit and unseal Aragon.
Objective: Unseal Aragon
Rewards: Taeguk 1, R-Type Laser Gun
"Aragon's Labyrinth, huh. The rewards look like something big again."
Those were Taejeong's words as he sipped his coffee while opening the quest window. Unable to bear his curiosity, he summoned Gerard.
"Explain the Taeguk 1 to me."
The Taeguk 1 is a 3rd-generation military suit used by the Space Alliance Forces—a multipurpose suit.
At the time, humanity had turned its eyes from Earth to develop various planets in the solar system, but the ambiguous legal boundaries of space led to constant disputes among the great powers.
This suit was created to restore order and protect colonies.
Among 3rd-gen suits, the Taeguk 1 was one of the most technologically advanced in the world.
"Oh, space? I think I learned about that in history class. People used to live in space back then, right?"
His memory was fuzzy since he hadn't paid much attention in class, but he definitely remembered learning it. Before the 2nd Monster Outbreak and the time warp—about 100 years ago, just before civilization regressed due to the time warp. Humanity had inhabited distant space, not just living there but boasting civilizations on over a hundred planets rivaling Earth, all connected in a single network. Unimaginable now, without even the means to reach space.
Gerard's explanation continued.
The Taeguk 1 is made from a new material created by processing the mineral Anaxis, left by an alien asteroid, into super plasma and fusing it with Supidum.
Its strength and hardness exceed tungsten alloy by over 100 times, yet its weight is only Hegis-level.
"Hegis... that's the material in the armor suit I'm wearing now, right?"
Correct.
"That's insanely light, then? No hindrance to movement."
The volume differs from an inner suit, so there will be some difference, but it shouldn't restrict activity much.
"Yeah? What's the defense rating in numbers?"
Physical defense: 5,000. Magic defense: around 4,000.
Lightning and fire magic can cover up to 30,000 depending on the type.
"That high?"
Taejeong couldn't help but be shocked at the defense far exceeding his expectations. 5,000 physical defense was already insane, but 4,000 magic defense on top? And up to 30,000 for certain magics? This was god-tier performance.
"I have to get this. It's exactly what I need right now. My max defense is barely over 2,000 even with all my outer layers combined. Sure, it goes higher with a mech, but still—this is huge. So, what's this other reward, the laser gun?"
A pre-plasma era laser weapon, great for sustained DPS.
Theoretically, at max output, it can exceed 50,000 damage, though time is a factor.
"50,000? That's the highest of any weapon I have. And usable without a mech?"
Yes. But as mentioned, that's at max output. Single shots average around 10,000.
"Even 10,000 is impressive. Stronger than the Super Vulcan. With just these two, I might not even need a mech anymore. No real drawbacks—mobility's overwhelming anyway."
There are pros and cons.
Taejeong knew what Gerard meant. The Iron Spear for long-range air intercepts, Cheonryong's 36 rounds per minute, and the flamethrower for attribute monsters—mechs had clear advantages. But their massive size was a huge drawback. Even on Jeju Island, mobility had been severely limited. This suit and laser gun would solve that in one go. With them, he could navigate anywhere a regular hunter could.
"Alright, this comes first. Any info on this labyrinth?"
Aragon's Labyrinth is outside my access permissions.
"Okay, I'll look it up myself."
Taejeong immediately contacted Park Se-ah in the office.
Yes, Park Se-ah speaking.
"Yeah, it's me. Pull together everything on Aragon's Labyrinth."
Right now?
"Nah, not that urgent. Grab it when you finish up and head out."
Understood.
After hanging up, Taejeong opened his skill window. He wanted to test the skill he'd gained on Jeju Island.
Hydear Cloaking
Form: Bio-response type
Duration: 30 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Mana Cost: 20,000
*Cooldown starts on deactivation.
"So this is the invisibility skill."
* * *
6 PM.
Click.
"Huh?"
Park Se-ah's eyes widened at the changed living room as she returned from work. The cramped little sofa was gone, replaced by a spacious bed.
Wondering what was up, she knocked on Taejeong's door. No response. She cracked it open cautiously.
The room was silent.
"Where'd he go?"
Tilting her head, she pulled out her phone to call. Just then, something suddenly dropped onto her shoulder.
"Eek!"
Startled nearly to the floor, she whipped around, thinking enemy. But nothing.
After checking every corner repeatedly, she sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Haa. Must be fatigue."
Dismissing it as imagination, she reached for her phone again. As she started dialing—
A hand touched her back.
"Mommy!"
This time, she collapsed fully. Glancing back, her face crumpled into tears.
"Wh-who's there?"
Something was definitely there. The sensation was real. But no one visible.
Terrified, the chilling touch came again.
"Eeeek!"
Another scream. Now she knew this wasn't normal.
'A g-g-ghost?'
She didn't believe in superstitions, but three times? No way it was imagination. Unless something supernatural... Tears welled in her eyes. Pure terror.
Then a clear voice in her ear:
"Release."
She looked up at the sound and screamed, sprawling backward.
"Aaaah!"
The scream was so loud, Taejeong—dropping cloaking—nearly yelled himself.
"You scared me. Damn, thought my heart stopped."
Park Se-ah, eyes squeezed shut, peeked up. Seeing him, tears poured like a faucet.
She burst into sobs.
Flustered, Taejeong tried to calm her.
"Hey, why the waterworks all of a sudden? Just testing a new skill. Didn't know it was you?"
He meant to soothe, but—
"Waaah. Sob sob."
Backfired.
"Ah, damn."
Seeing her cry so pitifully made him feel guilty. He'd never imagined she'd react this badly. Not with her usual composure.
Anyway, he had to fix it. He grabbed tissues from the desk and handed them over.
"Wipe with this. Stop crying now. My bad—joke went too far. Didn't think you'd freak this much."
Somewhat calmed, she took the tissues and dabbed her tears.
"Sorry. It was so scary. Felt like something was there when nothing was... hic."
"You're the one who should be sorry? Nah, I'm sorry. My fault. Acting immature. But you have fears too? Surprising. You don't even believe in ghosts."
"I'm human too."
"Right. Anyway, no more pranks."
"What was that just now?"
"Oh, that? Got it on Jeju. Wanted to test it, needed a spot. First time showing my closest aide. How was it? Couldn't see me at all, right?"
"Yeah. Thought it was a ghost."
"Good. Performance confirmed. Later, sneak into the secure archives and check against alarm magic. Oh, right—did you see the living room? The bed."
At his question, she glanced back as if just remembering.
"Oh yeah. What's with the bed?"
"Thought about it—I'm a division head now. Hadn't given commemorative gifts to my people. You're basically my right hand, same as the knight. Had time today, so I handled it. It's yours."
"Gift?" Her eyes went wide. Unthinkable.
"Sofa was uncomfortable, right? Should've gotten it sooner—didn't think that far. If it's too much, call it welfare. Everyone gets this much... Huh? What's that look?"
"Just grateful. What have I even done to deserve..."
"Hey, lemme correct that. You do a ton. Handle my health. Cover for me when I'm out. Whip up whatever I need on the spot. That's a truckload already. And you'll do even better. Right?"
She beamed.
"Yes! I'll work harder, boss."
"Good good. Much better. Nearly shit myself when you bawled earlier. You look prettiest smiling."
"Pardon?"
"Just saying smile."
"Ah, yes!"
"Yeah. Let's eat."
After Park Se-ah left, Taejeong muttered to himself.
"She is pretty. Pretty's pretty."
Who are you talking to?
"Not you."